To run or not to run
by Zebu the Cow
Summary: This is a restart of my previous story of the same name (I'm using the same story file). Leo Valdez is a problem. That's what the authorities say. He has been jumping form one foster home to the next, plagued by his memories. Running. He finally settles down in New York or will he run away again? (Updates weekly[Currently busy, hence lower content and more sudden updates])
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here's the first chapter I have written as a restart after half a year! Hope you like it! Enjoy and review, thank you! (Re-uploaded because the source or html code popped up in the previous one haha)**

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Leo could hear muffled screams coming from the inside of the machine shop.

"MOM!" He shouted as he burst into tears.

He would have gone in if not for the tongues of flame surrounding the shop in a bright aura. The fire suddenly roared and seemed to expand as if swallowing the building. A loud crash embedded itself into Leo's mind, accompanied by the screaming of his mom. Leo fell onto the ground and curled into a ball, shivering and sobbing. Maybe if he cried loud enough the fiery inferno will give his mom back. The officials found him curled up shaking, eyes wide open and crazed, repeating, "Give me my mom back." over and over again.

Fifteen-year-old Leo's eyes shot open and he sat up in a puddle of cold sweat and tears. He looked out the cargo train and dried his tears. It felt as if it were yesterday he had been on the run yet again from his foster family, if you could call it a family. Leo was constantly tormented by his "brothers and sisters." His only defense was indifference and humour. Still, it wasn't enough for him to put up with that family for more than a few months. The train slowly rumbled to a stop. Leo stood up and was about to sneak off of the train, but as he peaked his head out, he was face-to-face with a security guard.

"Where are your parents?" The guard asked brusquely.

"Oh, they're in the car next to this one." Leo said sarcastically, "Would I be here if I had parents?"

Turns out that wasn't the best thing to say, but it was the only thing Leo had. A few hours later, The authorities were already discussing what to do with Leo. Finally, after a few hours, it was decided that Leo would be put into yet another foster family: the Graces.

"Guess how long I'll last this time?" Leo joked with the man escorting him.

"Until you're eighteen," He said, not in the mood for games, "Next time this happens, you'll be sent to a juvenile delinquent hall."

Leo's smile faltered a little, but he still laughed and said, "And how long will I last there?"

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**A/N: So, that's the first chapter! How much out of 10? If you have time, constructive feedback is helpful. The more I get the more my stories will improve! Please follow and favorite if you want to to show support! Thank you! Stay tuned!**

**Michael out!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hey, here's chapter 2, hope you enjoy! Please give me feedback if possible. I update randomly for now because I have my exams coming up tomorrow. The quality and quantity may not be the best because I'm busy with my exams and I'm rusty. Please enjoy!**

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Chapter 2

The driver pulled up beside a house that seemed like any typical house. _Probably like the typical foster family, too_ Leo thought bitterly. Leo followed that man out of the door and up the front porch. "You know what this place reminds me of?" Leo asked the man, "The place I ran away from last time." The man just grunted and rolled his eyes. The door swung inwards and there stood a tall, blonde woman with blue eyes smiling.

"Mrs. Beryl Grace?" The man asked.

"That's me, and you must be Leo!" She turned to Leo.

"Here, ma'am, just sign these papers."

"You government people and your papers, didn't I sign some of these a few days back?"

The man stood silent as he waited. Before he bid his leave, he turned to Leo, "Remember what I said, kid."

"And remember what I said, man." Leo smiled.

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"This is your room, Leo." Mrs. Grace gestured to a room at the very back of the hall.

"Do I have any brothers or sisters? A dad?" Leo flashed a well-guarded smile.

"Oh, Thalia and Jason are out with their friends, they should be back soon, dear, and your new dad works overseas." She smiled back, though a bit strained

She stood there as if expecting him to say something. _What do you expect me to say, lady?_ Leo rolled his eyes on the inside, but on the outside, he smiled and said, "Well, I guess I'll settle down and, uhh, get to know this plant…" He gestured to a potted plant on the window still. _That was awkward_. Mrs. Grace smiled weakly and left. Leo fell back on the foreign bed. _Well, wonder what they're like._ Leo pulled bits and pieces of metal and fiddled around a bit. De-duhing some morse code under his breath dede deduhdede duhduhduh dedededuh de duhdeduhduh duhduhduh dededuh… _I love you…_ Shaking his head, he put away his newly constructed toy helicopter. He sat up decided to go out and maybe meet some people. "Mrs. Grace, I'm going out for a bit!" He shouted as he went out.

He strolled down the street looking around the neighborhood, thinking of the quickest route to get out of this place. Foreign plants waved to him as he walked by the front lawns. He walked past a small group of around half a dozen people who were around his age.

"Hey, 'sup, you guys live around here?" He strolled up to them casually.

"None of your business." A goth girl said, glaring at him.

"Hey, chill down Thalia." Said a tall blonde boy with electric blue eyes, "He's just trying to be friendly."

"You're still my baby brother." She grumbled, but shut up nonetheless.

"Wai- Wait, you two are siblings?" He snorted.

"Yeah, I know what you're going to say we look nothing alike." The blonde smiled.

"I'm Leo." _These people are cool enough_. Leo shook Blonde Boy's hand.

Everyone introduced themselves one by one **(A/N: I know, boring self-intros so I'll keep it as short as possible).** Blonde Boy turned out to be Jason. Piper, Jason's girlfriend, which Jason proclaimed somewhat protectively, had choppy chocolate hair and multicolored eyes. A guy with jet black hair and green eyes was Percy. A blonde girl with grey eyes was Annabeth. A girl with caramel hair and almond shaped brown eyes was Calypso (Leo may or may not have looked a tad bit longer). A guy with a bit of fuzz on his chin and eyes of the same brown was Grover. A petite girl with wispy brown hair was Juniper. **(A/N: Thank god, that was so bad)** Turns out Jason and Thalia lived in this neighborhood as well. The others bid their leave as it was getting late.

"So, where do you guys live?" Leo asked

"Oh just down the street." Jason replied

"Hey, me, too, maybe we're neighbors!"

"I hope not…" Thalia grumbled, eliciting a shake of the head from Jason.

The three of them walked all the way to Leo's new house, all wondering when the other would leave.

"I'll be going first." Leo said.

"We'll be going first." Jason said simultaneously.

There was an awkward pause of silence.

"No…" Thalia groaned, "You're the kid Mom decided to foster?"

"You-" Jason stuttered and laughed, "Oh my God."

Leo smiled and laughed to, but inside, he wondered what it meant. Will these people he deemed friendly (well, not really Thalia), turn out to be like all those other foster siblings?

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Leo sat down in his room and lay down on his bed, confused. He consented that Jason seemed good enough of a person, but Thalia still discomfited him. When he sat and fiddled with his fingers, he heard Mrs. Grace talking to her children.

"Thalia be nice to him, he's been through a lot."

"Hmph, haven't we all."

"Sis, stop being so stubborn."

"Listen to your brother, Leo doesn't have his parents and he's been on and off the run, he needs a family."

Leo closed his eyes, and a feeling stirred in him that he hadn't felt a long while: hope.

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**A/N:So, there's that! Hope you enjoyed! How much out of 10? Why? Oh, would you guys want to see some mythological element? Do you want it to be AU mythological elements? Please tell me! (I prefer that I add some mythological element) Thank you and stay tuned.**

**Michael out!**


	3. Update

Hey, I may not be able to update this week because I'm going to Japan. I had a chapter started, but I scrapped it due to me thinking it was horrible. Also, I want to ask you guys whether or not you guys would want supernatural elements. One thing for certain is it won't be regular high school life as I find it boring to write about sometimes. Please chip in you opinion! Thanks and stay tuned!

Michael out!


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:Well, here is the third chapter. Hopefully it's okay haha. Well, please read and review if possible, but most importantly, enjoy!**

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Chapter 3

Everyone Leo knows dies in a fight

His friends aren't dead but it's actually an illusion by a Blessed One who transport the people because they also give off the aura of a talent, except for Leo ( still dies).

The summer went by and Leo grew closer and closer with Jason, Thalia, and their group of friends. Slowly, he felt as if he belonged. He hasn't felt like that since his mother's death. Whenever he was with his friends, something warm grew in his chest. For the first time in years, he was happy. Eventually, the idyllic summer ended and the school year began.

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"Come on, Thalia, you're supposed to drive us to school!" Jason pounded on his sister's door.

"Alright, shut up!" Came the muffled reply.

"It's alright, I'm taking you three to school," Mrs. Grace said, "I have a beginning of the year PTA meeting."

A few minutes later after, Leo, Mrs. Grace, and an annoyed Jason and Thalia, stepped out of Mrs. Grace's car and into the shadow of the school building. After Leo got his schedule from the principal's secretary, he joined Percy and Annabeth in their first period, World History.

"Hello class, I am Mr. Williams, your World History teacher." A portly middle-aged man boomed, "Why do we teach you younglings about things that have happened before you were born? Well, I believe that we must learn about our past in order to model a better-"

An explosion rocked the room, cutting off Mr. Williams. Screams pierced the school.

"EVERYBODY OUT!" The teacher shouted.

Students screamed and pushed and shoved each other to get out. Simultaneously, the fire alarm and sprinklers went off.  
"Percy, where are you going?!" Annabeth shouted and Leo spun around to see Percy running towards the chaos.

"I have to find the others!" The boy shouted.

Annabeth looked at Leo and said, "You go first!"

"No way!," Leo shouted, following. _You guys are everything I have!_

The three of them stumbled into the gym to see Jason, Piper, and Calypso huddled in a corner with Thalia standing in front of them. In the center of the gym was a man wreathed in golden light and another one with tongues of fire lickign the air around him. As of now, the flaming man was at a disadvantage.

"Yield!" Shouted the golden man.

"Not to the likes of you," The fiery man turned and saw Leo, Percy, and Annabeth, "Besides, I've got what I came for."

The fiery man's body began to glow and vibrate. The golden man cursed and leapt into a glowing circle he conjured. A flash of light followed immediately by the biggest shock wave of heat ever blew Leo off his feet. It was as if a score of giants body slammed into a volcano from a thousand meters up.

Leo opened his eyes and blinked out the dust. He looked about, gathering his surroundings. There was barely anything left of the school building. He looked around for his friends, the people who had accepted him. In their place lay dead bodies, burnt. Vomit bubbled up Leo's throat and tears welled in his eyes. He regurgitated everything out onto the ground."Why?! Why me?!" Leo shouted up towards the heavens. It was as if some cruel god was playing tricks on him. Killing everyone, but saving him through a miracle. Leo stumbled to the bodies of his friends, burnt and charred. The smell of cooked flesh permeated through the room, or what was left of the room. Leo put his hand on what used to be one of his friends, for it was too disfigured to know. That was how the paramedics found him, sobbing and clutching a piece of human charcoal. **(A/N:Okay, that was grisly sorry.)**

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Jason opened his eyes and blinked his eyes, shaking the dizziness out. Around him, his friends sat up one by one. "You guys alright?" He croaked, his throat dry. His friends mumbled that they were fine. Jason's surroundings were completely alien to them. White walls climbed up around them. The ceiling cut off their ascent, and looming over them all was a chandelier hanging somewhat precariously. Everything was white, even the cots they lay on and the chandelier hanging above. Despite white being associated with innocence and purity, Jason didn't feel at peace. The monochrome of the room discomfited him. There seemed to be something wrong…

"Leo!" He shouted.

"What?" His sister stood up and started to pace the room.

"Leo's gone."

"Well, it's really as who are gone." Calypso said, licking her lips. She still gets scared of being lost after she got lost in the forest when she was small.

Suddenly, an unseen door swung open from one of the sterile walls. In walked the flaming man, except this time, he was dressed in simple jeans and a T-shirt, not flames.

"Hello, my friends, welcome to your new home." He smiled, spreading his arms, "My name is Malcolm."

"Where are we?" Annabeth glared at him. Getting kidnapped tends to piss Annabeth off.

"This is the New York headquarters of the Gifted Ones."

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**A/N: Alright, this is the product after five days in Japan :D Hopefully it isn't too shabby. Sorry for short chapters, by the way. I'll try to make them longer. This chapter may seem kind of rushed because I wanted to skip to the supernatural side. Hopefully I can still have time to do AP Bio and Honors English summer homework, update, read, and play video games. You guys have summer homework where you're from? Well, hope you liked this chapter. If not, tell me why please! Stay tuned!**

**Michael out!**


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